


A Burning Hearth

by Glacier_Llane



Series: A Palate for Strange Remedies [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Reader-Insert, Reader-Interactive
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2020-07-21 06:47:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19997623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glacier_Llane/pseuds/Glacier_Llane
Summary: The Triwizard Tournament is afoot and as a healer in charge of supervising it, you didn't expect the turn of events that will lead to the Dark Lord's return.





	1. Start of a New Year

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Welcome to part 3 of the main series! I know I haven't finished writing the previous in the summer yet but I don't feel like writing smut as of right now so... 
> 
> Also, this took so long because I decided to take a break after I updated 3 chapters in a row, which is I think reasonable, but then I got sick and inspiration just ran away from me. I had to rest because of that and with frustration because I do really want to write, and then I got better and STILL I wasn't inspired at all. Now I'm sick AGAIN, it's flu season where I am, but at least my inspiration is back, somewhat. 
> 
> If you're looking for content from me, when I don't write, I draw. Go to my tumblr palatefor-strangeremedies or my instagram glacier.llane.
> 
> This instalment is rated M because there will be implied sexual content and depictions of violence. Nothing explicit of course, just implied. If I do happen to want to write something explicit, it will be in separate fic. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who subscribed to, bookmarked, commented, left kudos, on the previous instalments, it greatly motivates me to write. 
> 
> As usual, (f/n) is your first name.   
> You're still a proud Black.

"You're leaving again?" 

You looked up from what you were packing and saw Gilderoy standing in the middle of your office. 

"Yes, I was going to call you after I finished packing," you held your chin an inspected the room, "well, I don't even know what I should pack from this office." 

"Are you off to another secret mission?" He smiled excitedly and sat by your desk. 

"It's not so secret this time," you decided you didn't really need anything here. The head healer had laid you off the paperwork since you'd be officially working at Hogwarts— as a representative of St Mungo's, no less. 

You did catch a few healers envying you for getting to see the Triwizard Tournament in action. 

"Will you be working with Severus again?" Gilderoy asked. 

"Yes, he'll be there," you said, with a held back smile. Even though you've seen him throughout the summer, you still felt like you missed him. Perhaps you missed working with him, it was fun last school year, even if he was a grumbling troll— an adorable one, really. 

"The event's open for public, Gilderoy, you might even be able to see it— if Miriam lets you." 

"I don't think she will," he scrunched up his nose, "she worries too much." 

You chuckled, "Well, you can still write to me if you want. Write to Hogwarts." 

"Of course! I'll send you more drawings!" 

"I'd like that," you smiled, closing up the mostly empty case you brought with you. 

Just as you bid Gilderoy goodbye, a knock was heard from the door. 

"Excuse me, Ms Black?" it was the young healer from the front desk. 

"Yes?" 

"There's someone here who wants to see you I— I don't know who he is, he won't give me his name, but he seemed like he needs medical attention," she explained frantically. You looked at Gilderoy and told him to go return to his ward. "I— I can call security if you don't want to see him, Ms. Black.” 

"No need, let me see if I know him," you set down your suitcase and followed the young healer to the front desk. 

There, sat in the waiting room, was a man in an overcoat that was evidently too large for him, with what looked like blood soaking through the shoulder parts. 

"Mister?" The young healer called as you both approached. The man looked up and you recognised his scarred face immediately. 

"Remus?" You said in surprise, "Uh, it's alright, I'll take care of him." You nodded to the young healer and she reluctantly left the two of you. 

Remus stood up and grimaced but at the same time tried to smile at you. 

"You came to visit after all," you smirked, motioning for him to follow you to your office. He chuckled and walked with you. 

"How have you been?" He asked. 

"Honestly, Remus, let's talk when you've been properly healed. You're grimacing too much." 

He chuckled again, wincing halfway through it. 

.

.

"So, how have you been?" Remus asked again, once he was properly cleaned and healed. The blood wouldn't come off his coat, but he insisted it was probably time to get rid of it anyway.

"Good, I suppose. I'm going back to Hogwarts for the upcoming school year," you smiled. 

"They hired another werewolf?" 

You both shared a laugh. 

"No, actually I don't know who they hired to fill your position..." you tapped your chin in thought, "probably another lunatic. Dumbledore has a habit of hiring strange people, it seems— no offence, of course." 

"None taken," he smirked easily. 

"I was hired to supervise the Triwizard Tournament. Make sure nobody dies."

"Oh, of course!" he laughed, "I wish I could go watch it, alas, I'm juggling jobs at the moment." 

"Would you like me to help you a bit? Just something for you to get by for awhile—"

"(f/n), please don't," he smiled, waving you off, "if I wanted money I could have asked Sirius." 

"Right." You forgot that Sirius was free— well, on the run. Your parents didn't react too kindly to that, but there wasn't much they could do but be grateful that the ministry wasn't suspecting them anymore. 

"How are things with... Severus?" Remus asked. 

"Always for the gossip, aren't you?" You crossed your arms. He gave you a curious look. You sighed. "He's surprisingly..." _sweet? Romantic? Tender?_ "...soft." Your voice was almost too quiet. 

"Is he?" Remus said in genuine disbelief, "Who knew he had it in him..." 

"I certainly didn't," you smirked, "it was a nice surprise." Remus gave you a sincere smile. He was happy for you. The smile didn't last for long, however, and was replaced by that mischievous look he has when he was about to ask you something absurd. 

"Is he good in bed?" He waggled his eyebrows.

"Remus!" You picked up your quill and poked his hand. 

"Ouch!" He exclaimed, still laughing all the while. 

.

.

.

.

You chatted amicably with Remus until you realised it was time for you to leave. You bid him farewell and he pulled you into a friendly hug before he left, promising to write sometime, maybe.

"You're late," Severus greeted as you arrived in the staff room. 

"A patient kept me," you sat next to him and he handed you a glass of what you presumed to be something alcoholic. "What did I miss?" 

You both turned your heads as a loud cheer erupted in the middle of the room. 

"Nothing, really," he said monotonously, clearly bored to death.

“This is your fault,” you said, sipping your drink. You didn't expect to be drinking right after arriving at Hogwarts, but... “I could have gotten us tickets, Severus. Why didn’t you remind me?” You grumbled. 

You had told him you’d get tickets to the Quidditch World Cup earlier in the week, but he was adamant that you ‘need not spoil him with such things’. You actually planned to get tickets anyway but heard that Lucius would be attending the finals... Merlin knows what he'll say if he saw the two of you in the luxury box.

Now, you were stuck in the back of the staff room, watching the rest of the professors cheer on a live broadcast of the World Cup finals from the only wireless in the middle of the room. There wasn’t even anything to watch, as wizards don’t have television, but the crowd around the radio was excited nonetheless. 

Dumbledore had insisted you and Severus join in the fun, with the promise of drinks.

You gulped down your drink and looked down at your empty glass. The alcohol wasn't even that good. You held up your glass to summon a refill. 

Professor Flitwick and many others cheered boisterously when the broadcast announced that one of the teams had scored. Dumbledore sat to the side, clapping animatedly. You wondered why a renowned wizard such as himself wouldn’t be able to get tickets. 

You realised the two of you were the only ones that weren’t adorning the Irish or Bulgarian team colours. Just as you were about to down your second glass, Severus held your wrist. 

"Pace yourself," he scolded, sipping his own drink. You pouted and proceeded to drink slightly slower.

Well, at least you were stuck here with Severus, and if you were sitting too close to him, well… the others were too busy to notice.

“Give me one reason why we shouldn't have gone,” you said. 

“I recall you saying Lucius would be attending?” Severus replied, sipping his own drink. 

“For the _finals_ ,” you cleared your throat as you realised you were almost slurring— how improper for a Black, “we could have gone to the quarterfinals or even the semifinals.”

“Stop trying to spoil me, (f/n),” he said, “you don’t even follow quidditch.” 

You grumbled and squeezed his thigh. You only wanted to do something nice for him, he just likes to make it difficult. 

Severus smirked amusedly and looked over the crowd to make sure no one was looking your way before placing his hand over yours. 

“Perhaps we should leave soon,” he set down his glass, “you’re clearly tipsy already.” 

" _I am not_ ," you protested, but set down your drink anyway. He rolled his eyes. “You just want a reason to get out of here.” 

The crowd around the radio cheered loudly and you shared equally bored looks with Severus. 

"Would they notice?" 

“Most likely not,” he pulled you to stand with him as another cheer erupted. You gripped onto his arm as you almost lost your footing and realised you were indeed quite tipsy. 

He gave you that smug smile of his and tugged you along to slip away amongst the chaos. 

.

.

“Well, what do you suppose we do now?” You asked as you walked through the hallways, without any destination in mind.

It was nice, not travelling through the floo everywhere you go... not fearing of being seen. Well, you still shouldn't be seen with Severus, but the hallway was deserted as almost everyone was watching— err, _listening_ to the World Cup. 

"I have classes to plan..." Severus said quietly.

Really? You had expected him to ask you to accompany him to lunch... Oh well, perhaps he needed some time alone. 

"Right. Dumbledore told me to check on the infirmary's inventory—" 

"I'm not sure it's wise for you to handle chemicals in this state," he grabbed your hand before you could walk off. 

"I'm tipsy, not drunk, Severus," you said, but didn't pull away your hand. 

"Still," he muttered, suddenly shy, "perhaps we could wait it out over lunch?" 

Honestly, he has asked you to lunch or dinner or breakfast a million times by now and still he has to plot around it and be shy... 

How adorable. You pecked him on the lips and grinned. 

"I thought you'd never ask." 

. 

. 

.

.

.

That night, you caught Severus oddly staring at his arm as you slipped into bed next to him. 

"What's wrong?" You asked in worry. 

"Nothing," he turned to cover his forearm and slid down under the covers. 

"Severus," you propped yourself up to look at him with concern. He gave you a side glance. 

"It... itches," he showed you his left forearm and ran his nails over it. 

"Don't scratch it!" You gripped his wrist to pry his hand away and inspected the mark. 

It didn't seem any different than it usually was. 

"Would you like me to get you a salve?" You said with worry. 

"No, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about," he retracted his arm and turned to spoon your side, "just rest, (f/n)."

That made you all the more concerned... but Severus looked like he didn't want to discuss it further. You sighed and settled yourself under the covers. "Goodnight, Sev," you pecked him on the nose. 

He sighed and moved a hand to cup your face, holding you close. 


	2. Lunacy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the erratic updates, I just started another semester of university, ya know how it is. Good news is I might have Tuesdays off now, which means I can do more stuff. 
> 
> If you ask what I am doing now, I'm updating this over the campus wifi—
> 
> Thank you to Romancelover38, MiscreantBrat, Guest, LightOwl1505, Sac1i, HonestIago, blissa, NinjaChicken, honestlyrachel, Yuuchan_Hrabia, BlackRyuji, Norah Fittleworth, EliDeetz, Rachael, meebee2, and Sarai Soleil for the wonderful comments on the last chapter! As well as everyone who left kudos and bookmarked!

"I still can't believe you let me forget about the World Cup," you said as you sluggishly walked to the breakfast table.

It seemed that Severus had already figured out a new breakfast routine for the two of you since you now slept together. His internal clock woke him up earlier than you'd like, but he told you to sleep in while he called breakfast and would wake you up when it arrived.

Unfortunately, with him out of your bed, it became rather cold— not that Severus was particularly warm himself, he just had a habit of curling around you and turning into an extra layer of blanket to keep your body heat. 

And it was the dungeons, after all, the morning sun didn't quite reach through the windows and the water. 

You figured if you had to get up and turn on the heater— as it so happens, Hogwarts has not installed a wand-controlled heater— you might consider convincing your father to put funding into the school— anyway, you might as well just get up from the bed altogether.

You rubbed your eyes and yawned as you sat across him. Severus was already sipping his morning coffee, the Daily Prophet in his hand.

"It's perhaps a good thing that you did forget," Severus said, and you squinted at him in confusion.

"What do you mean—"

Before you could even finish your sentence, Severus flipped the paper in his hand and showed you the front page.

There, in the centre picture, was the dark mark... in the sky above the World Cup.

Severus set down his coffee and your eyes went to his forearm. He was... oddly calm about all this. But then again, he wasn't one to express his worries.

"I suspect it's just a bunch of fools," he said, but you were still giving him that worried stare. He sighed and pulled up the sleeve of his nightshirt, showing the still faint mark on his arm.

"Perhaps it was..." you muttered, still quite unsure. You grabbed the paper and read the article for yourself.

A few muggles tortured, tents trampled... It does seem like they only intended to terrorise. If it was under the dark lord's orders... they would have killed. 

But would those fools be brave enough to cast the mark? Something seemed off.

A sudden thought came to you.

"Lucius was there," you mused, "he might know something."

Severus only hummed in reply. 

You looked up and saw him looking at you intently as if studying you. 

"I'll ask him," Severus said quietly. 

* * *

If Severus was concerned, well, he didn't give any indication of it at all. After that quiet breakfast, he went to write to Lucius and speak to Dumbledore, but he didn't quite tell you anything that came from it. He then went about the day as if nothing had happened.

You eventually tire of giving him worried glances, as he seemed to not want to speak of it. The ministry tried to quell the public's rumours and concerns, but their attempts felt half-hearted. Your parents wrote to you and advised you to stay safe, expressing mild concern that you'll be working at Hogwarts instead of Mungo's for the upcoming months— but that just might be their disapproval of you...

Severus brought his work to your quarters the next day and sat on your sofa planning his classes, unaware of your concerned stares. 

You sighed, deciding that you wouldn't worry too much of it for the time being and let yourself lay on his lap, pleased that he was eventually too distracted to continue to work. He chastised you and pulled you in to snog. 

* * *

The start of term approached and he finally decided that he probably should work alone... as you were too much of a distraction— it wasn't your fault, really, you offered to help him but he declined and let you snuggle closer instead.

"I'll see you later in the hall, then," you pecked his lips as he stood just outside your door. 

He was confused for a moment and said, "the hall?" 

You chuckled at his adorable expression. 

"Yes, Severus, I don't have to hide this year," you said still grinning. 

"Right," he gave you a last peck before turning to walk to his door. 

.

.

.

The evening was greeted by a furious downpour. You could hear the crashes of thunder echo through the castle halls, even in your quarters in the dungeons. The water in the lake shook in its inky blackness. 

You knocked on Severus's door and weren't sure he could hear above the patter of rain. 

"Severus?" You knocked again.

No answer. 

Well, you supposed you'd go on ahead— to avoid suspicion as well. 

The entrance hall was a mess, there were puddles of water everywhere and Filch was helplessly mopping with an already wet mop. 

"Ms Black!" You heard the voice of Hermione Granger call you. She waved at you but was cut off by Professor McGonagall who came stumbling as she slipped on the wet floor trying to chase Peeves. McGonagall reached out and gripped Granger by the throat to prevent herself from falling. 

You rushed to steady the professor, avoiding the puddles as best you could. 

"Ouch— sorry, Miss Granger—" McGonagall righted herself.

"That's all right, Professor!" Granger gasped, massaging her throat. McGonagall immediately went to berate Peeves. "Ms Black, you're working here again?"

"Don't worry, there hasn't been some sort of epidemic," you joked, "I'm here to help you all with something that'll happen later this year." 

"What does everyone know that we don't?" Weasley complained. Potter shrugged and looked up as he saw someone approach. 

"Severus, your cape!" You pulled out your wand and lightly levitated his cloak to avoid the water. 

He squinted at you and grabbed a handful of his cape to hurriedly enter the hall. 

Potter and Weasley were snickering beside you.

"Well, move along, then!" came Professor McGonagall, apparently done scolding the Poltergeist, "Into the Great Hall, come on!"

You waved to the three Gryffindors and walked to the staff table. 

You turned a few heads, just like you did that first day you arrived about a year and a half ago. You walked proudly as a Black should, holding your head high and showing off the gleaming gem of your badge. 

Among the turned heads, you noticed, was Severus.

He was still squinting at you and you raised an eyebrow at him. He looked away immediately, twining his hands in front of his face. 

.

"Did— did Snape just smile at her?" Ron squinted at the staff table. Hermione and Harry followed his gaze but couldn't see much as Snape turned to talk to you. 

"Are you sure you're not seeing things?" Harry said, genuinely surprised.

"Really! I saw it!" Ron insisted. Suddenly his expression turned into one of disgust. "Do you think that they're..." 

"Don't make me think about it, Ron," Harry complained, now sporting an equally disgusted expression. 

"They make a ghastly pair, don't they?" Ron made a mock gagging gesture.

"I think they're kind of cute," Hermione chipped in, earning herself two disgusted groans. 

.

The sorting was more tedious than you remember, not to mention the hat sang an obviously Gryffindor-biased song for its opening. You and Severus exchanged mildly displeased looks. 

Dumbledore had no speech this time, the first years were soaked and shivering from the rain, while the others were visibly famished. 

You chatted amicably with Severus as you ate and tried your best not to reach for his hand. 

.

.

Soon, the main dishes disappeared and was replaced with dessert. 

Severus tried not to stare as you licked off the icing of a slice of chocolate gateau from your fork. You gave him a sideways glance and a smirk. 

An annoyed "hmph" and he turned to inspect the table instead. 

After the desserts were eaten, Dumbledore finally stood up to speak. 

"So!" He said, "Now that we are all fed and watered, I must once more ask for your attention, while I give out a few notices."

He went on about Filch and his odd rules and you couldn't help but yawn. 

"It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year."

This earned murmurs from the students and even an occasional alarmed "what?!" 

"This is due to an event that will be starting in October, and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers' time and energy— but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts—"

Just at that moment, the hall doors burst open and you squinted at the figure standing there eerily. Everyone turned towards the stranger and he pulled down his cloak as he approached the staff table. 

So this is the new Defense teacher? You inquired in your mind. Perhaps your assumptions were correct, Dumbledore found _another_ lunatic to hire.

A dull clunk echoed in the hall with his every other step and a crash of lightning from the ceiling illuminated his face. 

You recognised the marred face and couldn't hold back your shock.

Sure Gilderoy and Remus were a tad touched in the head, but _this man_... Dumbledore hired an _actual_ lunatic. Wasn't it just earlier in the day when he was reported trying to attack a non-existent dark wizard in his home? 

Alastor Moody gave you an odd stare as he passed, his magic eye swivelling and creepily fixing on you. 

You steeled your gaze and sported a neutral expression, a little bit afraid that he'd attack you for offending him or something of that sort. 

He greeted the headmaster and promptly sat down, the erratic blue eye still landing on you from time to time. 

"May I introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Dumbledore broke the deafening silence, "Professor Moody."

No one clapped save for Dumbledore and Hagrid. 

Moody seemed totally indifferent to his less-than-warm welcome. Ignoring the jug of pumpkin juice in front of him, he reached into his travelling cloak, pulled out a hip flask, and took a long draught from it. 

Oh so he's a lunatic _and_ he's drinking on the job? 

You turned to Severus and found that he had an equally sceptical look.

Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"As I was saying, we are to have the honour of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."

"You're JOKING!" said one of the Weasleys, breaking the tension in the room. Everyone laughed, and Dumbledore chuckled appreciatively.

"I am not joking, Mr Weasley," he said, "though now that you mention it, I did hear an excellent one over the summer about a troll, a hag, and a leprechaun who all go into a bar..." 

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly.

"Er— but maybe this is not the time..." said Dumbledore, "where was I? Ah yes, the Triwizard Tournament... well, some of you will not know what this tournament involves, so I hope those who do know will forgive me for giving a short explanation, and allow their attention to wander freely."

Dumbledore explained the brief history of the tournament and why it ended years ago... something about a death toll that mounted so high that it couldn't escape the attention of the ministry. 

Well, it's no wonder the head of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons requested another healer. 

"...We have worked hard over the summer to ensure that this time, no champion will find himself or herself in mortal danger."

Well, you'd believe that once you see what the tournament entails. 

"Eager though I know all of you will be to bring the Triwizard Cup to Hogwarts," he said, "the heads of the participating schools, along with the Ministry of Magic, have agreed to impose an age restriction on contenders this year. Only students who are of age— that is to say, seventeen years or older— will be allowed to put forward their names for consideration. This," Dumbledore had to raise his voice over the outrage from the students, "is a measure we feel is necessary, given that the tournament tasks will still be difficult and dangerous, whatever precautions we take, and it is highly unlikely that students below sixth and seventh year will be able to cope with them. I will personally be ensuring that no underage student hoodwinks our impartial judge into making them Hogwarts champion."

The crowd quieted down but there were still disapproval murmurs from many of the students. 

With the last announcement that the other schools will be arriving in October, Dumbledore dismissed the students to their dormitories and went back to the staff table. He was about to speak to Moody, but his face lit up as he saw you and he reached into his pocket to procure an already sealed letter. 

"Send this order to the apothecary via owl tomorrow morning, it's the supplies necessary for the tournament," he said briefly and went to sit.

You looked at the sealed envelope in your hand. 

Well, he certainly didn't want you to know what exactly is being ordered... 

You turned to Severus and found that he was already moving to stand. 

"I'll take a look at the Slytherins and then we can..." he leaned just a bit closer, a light blush upon his cheeks, "...spend the night." 

You really had to fight the urge to kiss him right then. 


	3. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there, I really wanna go back to Friday/Saturday updates just to have consistency in my life but these chapters seem to come outta nowhere. 
> 
> Also on top of this, my English professor tasked me to write a story in exchange for not having to do anything in class. Though I'm tempted to hand him this series... it's probably not a good idea HAHAHAHA. I'm tempted cause this is by far the most I've put into a writing project.
> 
> And to think it all stems from my love for Severus...
> 
> This one's kinda short, but it is a filler of sorts so...
> 
> Thank you to Romancelover38, fonduegames, Yuuchan_Hrabia, AyushiSushi, and blissa for leaving comments in the last chapter! And a special thank you to that one anon in my tumblr inbox for writing 5 paragraphs of genuine heartfelt comment. It made me cry in the shower, I kid you not. In the GYM shower too. I was sobbing. If you read this update first, I'll respond to your ask soon, just need to stop crying (in happiness ofc)
> 
> Enjoy!

"Severus," you hummed as he placed his lips on your neck. You were propped against his desk with him standing between your legs. 

Severus had not taken too well to the start of term. It was only the first day and he was already tense when you saw him at lunch. The two of you advised a plan to have dinner early, so you could spend more time in the evening to ease his tension. 

You tangled your fingers in his hair as he pressed against you.

You, on the other hand, did not have much to do. Dumbledore only tasked you with delivering that mysterious order. Madam Pomfrey had decided to give you a bit of work in the infirmary sorting out elixirs, but that was about the extent of your business. 

But the proposal of spending more time with Severus was always a delight. 

Your plan seemed to be ruined, however, as a loud knock on the door sounded through his office.

Severus was already halfway through unbuttoning his trousers. He let out a distasteful growl and scowled at the door.

You both stood still and hoped whoever it was would leave if no one answered—

"Snape!" Came a gruff voice and another set of knocks, "Open up!" 

No such luck then. 

What could Moody possibly want with Severus? The two of you knew better than to challenge him on the matter, though… 

"Snape!" The knocking was louder now. 

You sighed and hopped off the desk to help Severus dress. He managed an embarrassed sneer as you smoothed out his hair and pecked him on the cheek. 

"I'll be in your bedroom," you said. 

You retreated to the bedroom and left the door ajar to listen in on the conversation. 

...

The exchange was nonsensical, to say the least. Moody came in with a student, whose voice you recognised as Draco’s, reporting that he was caught trying to hex Harry Potter. Draco tried to retaliate by telling Severus that Moody turned him into a ferret, and then Severus tried to argue Moody's way of punishment, but Moody retaliated with something unrelated but quite intimidating all the same.

You could only mutter to yourself "What in Merlin's name...?" as you changed for bed. 

Draco was then dismissed and Moody _insisted_ on searching Severus's office for any 'dark artefacts'. 

Perhaps his Auror background suspects Severus of his former allegiance. You couldn’t hear Severus defend himself and almost felt his stress from the bedroom. 

.

Severus came in about half an hour later, with a deep crease between his brows and a frown gracing his lips. You crawled over to him and held his shoulders as he sat on the foot of the bed. He was even more tense than earlier, you could feel the knots as you gently rubbed his back. 

"Let's go to bed," you said, embracing him from behind and giving him a peck on the cheek. 

He hummed and leaned back against you. 

* * *

You decided that you had a terrible dislike of Moody and had a sneaking suspicion that he knew of the hatred every time that odd eye looked at you.

Just that afternoon, his eye was fixed on you as you were in a staff meeting, preventing you from reaching for Severus’s hand under the table. 

Not only that, the man had completely horrible timing. He seemed to appear whenever you and Severus were together, you didn’t know if it was coincidence or because he was suspicious of the two of you. 

On one instance, you were merely chatting with Severus about the mysterious order Dumbledore told you to deliver and Moody rounded the corner shouting "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" at a student, scaring them— _and you_ , half to death. 

Severus ushered you away whilst trying to avoid that magical eye. You knew he was afraid of Moody— you were too, to be honest. Moody was unstable at best and not even the power of the Black family could get rid of him. 

Perhaps you could get the parents to complain via Lucius, but the students seem to admire his teaching in class due to his experience in the field.

And you really didn’t want to contact Lucius, anyway. 

* * *

"Ms Black!" Granger called from the entrance hall.

You were on your way back from the owlery after sending another letter to the apothecary. They had responded that they needed a healer to sign for whatever it is— from the information in the letter, you could only decipher that it'll come in some sort of bottle or tube. You signed the form and sent it, making a mental note to ask Dumbledore about the specifics some other time. 

"Miss Granger," you greeted, "what are you up to?" 

Potter and Weasley suddenly had grimaces behind her, how odd.

"We're selling these," Granger said enthusiastically. She held up the box in her hands, which was filled with badges that had S.P.E.W. printed on them. 

"What's..." you looked up and saw Potter and Weasley shaking their heads behind Granger, trying to signal you something. 

But before you even finished your question, Granger went ahead to explain. 

"It stands for the Society for the Promotion of Elvish Welfare," she explained the manifesto and you had to fight the urge to show your indifference, "do you own house-elves, Ms Black?" 

"Hermione, she's a Black! Of course—" 

"I don't, actually—" 

"Great! Would you like to buy a badge?" 

"Hermione, are you mental?" Weasley and Potter were shaking _her_ now.

Well, perhaps you _would_ purchase a badge, just to avoid her approaching you in the future. Granger was a bright witch, but you had to admit the notion to give all house-elves wages was quite an odd one. House Elves were content with their life enslaved. Sure, there will be one or two odd ones, but... 

“Okay, I'll buy one," you said. Potter and Weasley's jaws dropped. 

"That'll be two sickles," Granger beamed. You searched your pockets for some money. 

"I don't have two sickles..." 

“Oh, it's alright, you can pay later—" 

“…have a galleon." You placed the coin in her hand and fetched a badge. 

"But I don't have the..." Granger spoke, but you were already walking away towards the dungeons, "...change." 

They all stared at the galleon, which was worth seventeen sickles. 

"Did she… did she just give you free money?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ch 14 of GoF:
> 
> Ron: You know why Snape's in such a foul mood, don't you?
> 
> Ms Black: yeah because he keeps getting cockblocked by Moody—
> 
> Constant vigilance my ass, more like constant cockblocking am i right


	4. Formalities

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Wednesday, I know, but I couldn't wait. I wanna finish this— even though I just upped the chapters to 20... whoops. Also, I promise I'll finish writing the last in the Summer, I have it simmering in my documents, but writing smut is hard. 
> 
> Thank you to Sac1i, BlackRyuji, MiscreantBrat, and A Big Fan for leaving comments in the last chapter, as well as everyone who has left kudos, and/or bookmarked!
> 
> Enjoy!

“Are you sure you can tie it?" You tried to turn around but Severus hissed and told you to stay still. He was taking his time to tie your healer apron and it was almost the hour Durmstrang and Beauxbatons will arrive. 

Severus had developed a habit of silently stalling his time with you over the past month. He would visit your quarters, sometimes during student breaks, and not leave until you noticed he was about two minutes late. Not that you’d complain, you didn’t have much to do besides wander around and do meaningless errands— and having his company was always a treat, but it wouldn’t do if people started asking of his tardiness.

(You knew he was doing this to avoid Moody, too.)

"Severus," you said impatiently. You could have tied it yourself, really— you've done so a million times before, but he insisted on returning the favour after you helped tie his cravat, which was the faintly green one you bought him for his birthday. " _Severus_ —" 

“Done," he said triumphantly, watching as you turned and observed his work in the mirror.

Severus had tied the ribbons of your apron into a double bow— how unnecessarily sweet of him. That fluttering about your chest that you've gotten used to over the course of your relationship suddenly threatened to burst out. 

"Thanks, darling," you managed through your grin, proceeding to kiss him on the jaw. He looked at himself in the mirror and grumbled as he wiped the visible lipstick stain off with his sleeve, blushing all the while. 

.

.

You noticed the castle being exceptionally clean as you walked to the entrance hall. 

Everyone had taken special measures to prepare for Beauxbatons and Durmstrang’s arrival. Filch, with the help of Flitwick, oiled and polished the suits of armour until they were glistening in the torchlight. McGonagall had been adamant on scolding students in fear of embarrassing Hogwarts in front of the other schools, and Sprout had expressed her delight that she will be wearing a new set of robes for the arrival.

The great hall had also been decorated for the welcoming feast, sporting the banners of each house and one of the Hogwarts coat of arms. 

You arrived in the entrance hall with Severus and saw the head of houses ordering the students into lines. 

McGonagall and Flitwick were having the most difficulty, as their respective houses were chatting amongst themselves rather than listening to them. Sprout was joining the Hufflepuffs in conversation, voicing how nervous she was about the other schools' arrival. 

Severus took his place as head of Slytherin and instructed his students to form an orderly line. To your surprise, they listened to him immediately, quieting their chatter as they walked into position. From their faces, you could see that they did so out of respect, rather than fear.

A surge of pride rushed through you and you couldn't help but smile at him. Severus raised an eyebrow and discreetly beckoned for you to walk with him to lead the Slytherins out the hall. 

He looked alarmed when you took his arm, but you knew the gesture was nothing short of proper, pulling him along with a smirk.

.

"Look!" Hermione whispered, gesturing towards the Slytherins. Harry and Ron turned and saw you holding Snape's arm. His face was obscured by his greasy hair and they missed the blush that had formed on his sharp cheekbones. 

Ron made gagging noises, which was promptly scolded by McGonagall. 

.

You didn't know why Dumbledore deemed it necessary to greet the other schools outside. There was quite a chill, and many of the students were shivering— you were too, a cold breeze ran up your spine and you shuddered. 

Severus put his hand over yours on his arm, but it didn't quite help— his hands were always icy cold. You reluctantly let go of him as you stopped and folded your arms to warm yourself as you stepped off to the side. 

A glance at Severus and you saw an odd expression on his face, something akin to that fire you saw in his eyes that one Christmas... it was peppered with a hint of frustration and...

His eyes became half-lidded before he looked away.

...Longing?

You resisted the urge to position yourself under his cape and snuggle him. That would warm you up, actually— you shivered again and rubbed the side of your arms.

Looking up at the sky, you saw the full moon rising behind the clouds and suddenly wondered how a certain werewolf was faring this night...

You were startled by a sudden "hmph" from beside you and turned to see Severus standing there with his arms crossed. 

_Honestly, this man and his jealousy..._

You gave him a scolding look as you shook your head before glancing back at the evening sky.

Actually, it would have been quite romantic if it were just the two of you—

" _Hmph_ ," Severus now had a scowl and a faint blush across his cheeks.

Before you could comment, Dumbledore caught your attention from the back, "Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!"

A large shadow approached from over the forest and grew larger as it moved towards the castle. 

The students were amazed and threw guesses as to what it might be. 

You guessed it was a carriage, and sure enough, a dozen winged horses landed in front of you. They were large, the size of their hooves alone could probably crush you. A second later, the carriage they were pulling landed too, bouncing upon its vast wheels, while the golden horses tossed their enormous heads and rolled large, fiery-red eyes.

A set of golden steps unfolded from the carriage and out stepped a ridiculously tall woman. 

You've only seen the headmistress of Beauxbatons in photos, and you didn't quite expect her to be _that_ tall. There was an article long ago that mentioned her to be 'big-boned' but seeing her in person... you wondered if it's a medical anomaly... 

Madame Olympe Maxime greeted Dumbledore and made the wise choice to enter the castle to warm up, as her students were shivering madly.

The silence returned and many were looking up at the sky in anticipation until an odd sound broke through the grounds. You turned to the lake and saw a whirlpool appearing in the middle, while what looked to be a mast rising from it. With a great splash, the rest of the ship rose above the water and glided to the bank to dock.

The Durmstrang lot got off the ship and between the fur coats and uniforms, you saw a man with sleek silver hair smile as he saw you. You tried not to express your distaste as you realised you’d be seeing him for the rest of the school year. 

Igor Karkaroff had a pleased grin, his crooked yellow teeth and scraggly goatee highlighted by the moonlight as he passed you. 

Severus gave you a suspicious stare. 

.

.

"So you're the extra healer they called, (f/n),” Karkaroff said as he filled his plate with food. To your chagrin, he had deliberately switched places with his deputy to sit next to you. 

Now, you were sat between Karkaroff and Severus, who had looked up from his food the second Karkaroff called you by your first name.

"It would be proper to address me as Ms Black, Professor Karkaroff," you said without even looking at him. You could still see that horrible grin from the corner of your eye, however.

"Do we need such formalities? We know each other, (f/n),”

By “know each other”, he meant that you had met him at a party once or twice— in which he was invited only because the host’s son was enrolled in Durmstrang. You didn’t even know how he became headmaster with his reputation.

Karkaroff had tried to chat you up those two times, and not once had you relented and called him Igor as he insisted. 

"Ms Black, please, Professor Karkaroff," you said once more, keeping your tone indifferent and still not sparing him a glance. He only chuckled and kept that grin as he turned to enjoy his dinner. 

You glanced at Severus and saw that he was squinting at Karkaroff, holding his fork in mid-air, a piece of food still on it.


	5. Insecurities

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god I have so many snape projects. As many of you know, I started a [fan comic](http://https://palatefor-strangeremedies.tumblr.com/post/187254065297/glory-to-the-prince-part-1-support-me-to-enable) and you'll know where the idea came from. It's from one line in this chapter. Drove me insane. 
> 
> Anyway I don't remember what I wanted to say in this author note. It's like 10 PM and i'm sleepy af. maybe i'll add something tomorrow. Or you'll see me post on tumblr idk i need sleep. 
> 
> Don't get me wrong, I still had fun making this chapter, i've just already used up all my words on it lol. 
> 
> Thank you to BlackRyuji, AyushiSushi, MiscreantBrat, Sac1i, LightOwl1505, honestlyrachel, A Big Fan, blissa, EliDeetz, pepperonywithcheese, Jessica LeVasseur, and SparklyKeyLime for leaving comments in the last chapter!! I love you all!!! I'm sleepy,, i'm sobbing,,, thanks,,,
> 
> Enjoy!

You breathed a sigh of relief as the ministry officials, Barty Crouch and Ludo Bagman, decided to sit next to Karkaroff. He immediately went to schmooze them and you rolled your eyes as you heard him say something that was definitely aimed to get them on Durmstrang's side on the tournament.

You took the chance to tend to Severus and his... jealousy. 

"Ever had blancmange, Severus?"

He snapped out of his spiteful stare and turned to you. You honestly don't know why he'd be jealous of _Karkaroff_... the man was an unkempt goat at best. 

"It's quite a treat," you continued, "pass me it, will you?" 

Severus blinked twice, suspicious of your nonchalance, before finally reaching for the plate of blancmange. 

He gave you a pointed stare, noticing the way you purposely covered his hand with yours as you took the plate and linger for far longer than necessary. You winked at him and gave an air-kiss, hoping it was enough to assure him of where your affections lie. 

You caught his eyes widening for a brief moment before he cleared his throat, retracting his hand as a blush crept up to his cheeks. 

A satisfied smirk was on your face… and you haven't even tasted the blancmange. 

.

.

.

Dumbledore concluded his dramatic opening speech and the hall was filling back with chatter as many were getting up to leave. 

You were staring at the dancing blue flames of the goblet when a loud "Viktor!" startled you. Karkaroff beckoned to his group of students and one of them stood up to make his way towards the staff table. 

"Let's go, Severus. Before he—" 

"Viktor, come meet my friend (f/n)," Karkaroff gestured towards you with a grin.

You flared your nostrils at his insistence to call you by your first name. You had rounded the table with Severus and tried not to show too much of your disappointment. Severus stopped a few ways ahead and looked back at you as Karkaroff also made his way around the table.

"(f/n), this is Viktor Krum. I suppose you know he plays seeker for the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team," Karkaroff boasted, clapping Krum on the back, "Viktor, if you ever get injured in the tournament, come to her. She'll fix you up in a second!" 

_How was he so certain that Krum would be chosen as champion?_ Karkaroff certainly wasn't shy about his favouritism...

You awkwardly shook hands with the boy. He looked like he didn't want to be here as much as you do. 

"Pleased to meet you, Ms Black," Krum said, his accent thick on his tongue. He looked even more uncomfortable as Karkaroff started to boast more about his accomplishments. 

You turned to Severus in search for help but found that he was already halfway down the hall. 

_That fiend! How dare he leave you do fend off the goat yourself?!_

You sighed and squared your shoulders, giving a stern glare at Karkaroff. 

"Professor Karkaroff, it's late. I'm sure your student would like to rest after such a long trip, or perhaps ponder on entering his name," you spoke steadily, cutting into his aimless chatter. 

"I'm sure Viktor—" 

"Well, in any case, I would like to rest myself, professor. _Goodnight_ ," you didn't give him a chance to talk, "and to you too, Mister Krum. My best wishes on entering the tournament." You gave the boy a smile and waved goodbye. 

_Now, off to find your fiendish bed partner..._

Your annoyance rose as you stepped down the dungeon stairs and found the hallway empty. _He really did leave—_

You almost drew your wand as a hand suddenly came from the shadows grabbed onto yours. You turned and found Severus looming over you with his dark eyes boring into yours. 

"One of these days, I'll have a heart attack because of you," you rubbed your chest and scowled at him. 

He looked guilty as he pulled you closer to him, lacing your fingers together. 

You clutched your chest as you felt a wave of warmth constrict your insides. (Well, that one was a little more intense than what you've gotten used to. Perhaps a heart attack was indeed imminent.) 

_How dare he be sweet when you're supposed to be mad at him?_

You gave him your best pout and squeezed his hand to pull him out of the shadows and walk with you. 

Seeing his hesitant smile, the worst you could do to him was poke his side as he unlocked the door to his office. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

“So… you know Karkaroff?" 

You blinked. You thought the subject had passed— this really wasn't the pillow talk you were expecting. You turned over and propped yourself on your elbows to look at him. 

"I've met him… twice," you stated. 

"Where?" 

"At a party,"

"And?"

"And he's a prick," you could make out his smug smirk even in the dim light. "I honestly don't know why you're jealous of him—"

"I am _not_ ," he hissed. 

_Uh-huh, sure he wasn't._

You gave him a reproachful stare until he looked away and groaned. 

“You… you _know_ why..." he relented, scowling as he turned himself away from you.

You frowned and tenderly pecked his shoulder before moving to spoon him.

"No, I _don't_ know why, Severus" you nuzzled against him, putting your arm around his middle, "you're clearly a better man than he is."

You felt his breath hitch.

Severus didn't say a thing as he grasped your hand to pull you closer.

* * *

_"We can't have a Slytherin champion!"_

You and Severus swivelled your heads and saw Potter being elbowed by Granger. He caught your eyes as you passed and cowered sheepishly. 

_And why couldn't Hogwarts have a Slytherin champion?_ You reckon there are plenty of Slytherins that could represent Hogwarts just fine. Well, Potter’s a Gryffindor after all…

You tugged Severus's arm as he seemed intent on continuing to stare spitefully at the boy. He gave a last squint before finally looking ahead as he walked. 

You had both decided that it would be wise to occasionally have breakfast in the hall. People would notice you both absent every morning and question your whereabouts. 

Well, you walked with him to the hall today, but it's easier to say that you met him on the way than explaining why he's half-naked on your sofa early in the morning. 

You looked up as a crowd of students cheered in the entrance hall, one of them putting their name in the goblet. The fire lit up red before turning back to its original blue. 

"Would you have entered?" You said, sitting down on one of the chairs. When no immediate answer came, you turned to Severus and found him surprised that you were talking to him. 

"No." 

"Why not?" 

"I wouldn't have been chosen anyway," he said in a dismissive tone and picked up a mug of coffee. 

"How can you be sure?" You picked up a piece of toast and fetched the butter, "I think you'd be a great champion." 

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw him freeze, his hand in mid-air, holding his mug of coffee. 

"You think I’m..." _worthy._ You knew the word even without him saying it. 

He wasn't even speaking to you, not really. His voice faded into nothingness and he blinked before slowly resuming what he was doing as if he hadn’t said anything at all— even avoiding your eyes as you turned to him.

_Of course you think he's worthy._ With his brilliant mind and magical skills, he'd _crush_ the tournament. He's resourceful and adept in many subjects; potions was just what he was famous for. 

(Sometimes you really wondered what would have happened if you paid just a bit more attention to him... maybe asked a few more potions questions...)

"Would _you_ have entered?" He asked, snapping you out of your thoughts. You supposed he must have heard them. 

"Maybe," you replied, "I hear it requires a bit of combat, and that's not exactly my strong suit." 

"You match me just fine," 

Your eyes darted to him immediately. 

_What does he mean by that?_ You've never even duelled him... and you wouldn't win if you did. He's far more skilled than you are. 

"In... in a battle of wits, perhaps," you regarded his expression but it was impossible to read.

What does he mean you match him just fine? 

Just... in general?

Huh, you supposed you do…

_You do match him just fine._


	6. Considerations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! SORRY THIS TOOK FOREVER writing filler scenes is dragging and I'm in the middle of moving house!! Please be patient with me as everything should be back to working order in maybe two weeks.
> 
> Also if you missed it, I made a 555 follower special on my tumblr palatefor-strangeremedies whereby you can reblog/reply with your favourite scene and I'll enter your name to be randomly selected to be drawn as Ms Black! [[link](https://palatefor-strangeremedies.tumblr.com/post/187853109856/thank-you-so-much-for-555-followers)]
> 
> Thank you to Luce_Angelica, AyushiSushi, fonduegames, MiscreantBrat, BlackRyuji, A Big Fan, Sarai Soleil, La la la, hooliganism, ANH, and Sister Sarai for leaving comments in the last chapter! 
> 
> Enjoy!

“Severus, I didn’t _mean_ to embarrass you!”

He caught your grin as you chased after him and rolled his eyes.

Severus refused to speak to you, but you knew he wasn’t really angry. Despite his silence, he complied to your request of his help in the hospital wing, obviously only pulling your leg in revenge of your teasing.

_As per usual._

Honestly, all you did was pull him aside as a colony of bats, which were part of the Halloween decoration in the hall, swooped down and swarmed him…

Severus turned and raised an eyebrow.

...and said, "They probably think you're their mother."

He squinted menacingly.

“Wouldn’t it be funny if you dressed as a bat today, though?”

Severus frowned— pouted, almost, as he saw the two students in the hospital wing try to hide their snickers. That seemed to have happened in the hall too, with the Slytherin and Gryffindor table behind you.

(He wasn’t at all delighted when he saw the Potter boy amongst the sniggering crowd)

You muttered a sincere “sorry” despite your smile and pulled him by the hand, all the way to the back of the infirmary and away from the sniggering.

He was still pouting when you turned to him.

“Now you’re just being adorable, darling,” you pinched his chin and he snarled as he pulled away, looking around to make sure nobody saw.

The two students were, unsurprisingly, caught in the after-effects of an ageing potion. They were now too busy with their beards and wrinkles to notice the two of you.

He let out an indignant “hmph” but ran his thumb over your hand before letting go.

Finally moving to the task at hand, you opened the first box that had just arrived from the apothecary.

You honestly didn’t need help unpacking the mysterious package, but it was a Saturday and Severus didn’t have much to do…

He took out one of the tubs and inspected the label.

…and he was just as curious as you are of this vague prescription.

“Burn-healing paste?” He asked.

“I suppose the first task involves a lot of fire?” You opened the other boxes and found more tubs of burn-healing paste.

Puzzled looks were shared between the two of you as you continued unboxing.

.

.

“Headmaster, perhaps it would be prudent to tell me— as I am the healer in charge of the tournament, what the first task is?” You had purposely sat beside Dumbledore for lunch to enquire about the egregious amount of burn-healing paste that was now sitting in the hospital wing.

“I will, (f/n),” Dumbledore chuckled and put down his mug of pumpkin juice, “Right after the champions are chosen… _and certainly not here._ ” You suddenly noticed Karkaroff three seats down, trying to catch wind of the conversation. He was afraid to move seats only because Moody was on the other side of Dumbledore.“In the meantime, has the package arrived?”

“Yes, sir,” you turned back to your plate as the conversation derailed into menial things like the autumn weather, until…

“Would you consider working here permanently, (f/n)?”

“Sir?” You said, for lack of better words.

_You?_

_Work here?_

_Permanently?_

“I do hope your stay has been comfortable so far,”

He somehow said that just as Severus entered the hall.

“Well, yes— but— but I can’t just _leave_ —“ you were stunned. How did the conversation turn back at you?

“Consider it, perhaps, (f/n). I’ll ask again at a later time,” Dumbledore gave a polite smile and raised his mug to you to dismiss the conversation.

You could only move the food on your plate in thought.

.

.

“What has your thoughts in a knot?”

You snapped out of your reverie as Severus sat beside you on the sofa. The crease between his brows suggested that even he was having a hard time sifting through your mind.

“Well,” you threw your head back against the sofa and sighed, “Dumbledore offered me to work here.”

“ _Again?_ ” Severus had his eyebrow raised with an incredulous expression.

“Permanently, this time.”

“Ah.”

“And what do you think of it?” You lifted your head just in time to see him blink in surprise.

“You complain about your desk job at Mungo’s quite a lot lately…”

Well, it was apparently your worst fear, according to that boggart Remus made you face.

“That’s true…” you stared back at the ceiling, “…it just feels… odd? wrong? to leave somewhere I’ve worked for so long.”

Severus had a look about him that said he didn’t agree.

“If you could, would _you_ leave here?”

_With you?_

The words came to your thoughts out of nowhere. You weren’t sure if he didn’t hear it.

“ _Don’t_ ,” Severus warned, looking away to the fire in front of you.

You reached for his hand and intertwined your fingers. Severus sighed and squeezed it as he leaned back into the seat.

“Wouldn’t you tire of seeing my face every day if I work here?” You grinned and leaned into his shoulder. You felt his huff of laughter before he looked at you.

“No.”

.

.

That evening, Dumbledore summoned everyone to the hall for the big announcement. You could feel the crowd buzz in excitement as you followed closely behind Severus’s cloak.

No one seemed to even be interested in the food, but you were enjoying the foreign desserts all the same. Severus quietly grabbed himself a plate of blancmange and he scowled at you as you smiled in acknowledgement.

At last, the plates were cleared, and the uproar in the hall dropped into dead silence as Dumbledore got to his feet. It was almost unsettling.

"Well, the goblet is almost ready to make its decision," said Dumbledore. "I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called, I would ask them to please to come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber" he indicated the door behind the staff table, ”where they will be receiving their first instructions."

He took out his wand and gave a sweeping wave, extinguishing all the candles except those inside the carved pumpkins, plunging the hall into a state of semidarkness. The Goblet of Fire now shone its brightest in the hall.

You turned to Severus and was once again reminded that he seemed to look ever so ethereal under the perfect lighting.

His eyes moved to glance at you ever so briefly and you felt his finger lightly brush against the back of your hand on the armrest. You dared to twine two fingers with his and hoped no one would notice in the dark.

The flames inside the goblet turned suddenly red, sparks beginning to fly from it. Then, a tongue of flame shot into the air, a charred piece of parchment fluttered out of it. You could hear the whole room gasp.

Dumbledore caught the piece of parchment and held it at arm's length, so he could read it by the light of the flames, which had turned back to blue-white.

"The champion for Durmstrang," he read, in a strong, clear voice, "will be Viktor Krum."

Huh, the boy was chosen after all.

"Bravo, Viktor!" boomed Karkaroff, so loudly that everyone could hear him, even over all the applause. "Knew you had it in you!"

You shared unimpressed looks with Severus.

The clapping and chatting died down once more and everyone's attention was focused back on the goblet, which, seconds later, turned red once more. A second piece of parchment shot out of it, propelled by the flames.

"The champion for Beauxbatons," said Dumbledore, "is Fleur Delacour!"

A girl with silvery blonde hair stood up from her seat and gracefully walked to the door. You could have sworn she was part veela.

Silence fell again, but this time it was a silence so stiff with excitement you could almost taste it. The Goblet of Fire turned red once more; sparks showered out of it; the tongue of flame shot high into the air, and from its tip, Dumbledore pulled the third piece of parchment.

"The Hogwarts champion," he called, "is Cedric Diggory!"

You raised an eyebrow in surprise.

A Hufflepuff.

Perhaps that is why they were cheering louder than ever before.

You were a bit disappointed that it wasn’t a Slytherin, but so proves that the champion does not have to be a Gryffindor.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore called happily as at last the tumult died down. "Well, we now have our three champions. I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real—“

But Dumbledore suddenly stopped speaking, and it was apparent to everybody what had distracted him.

The fire in the goblet had just turned red again. Sparks were flying out of it. A long flame shot suddenly into the air, and borne upon it was another piece of parchment.

Dumbledore reached out a long hand and seized the

parchment. He held it out and stared at the name written upon it. There was a long pause, during which Dumbledore stared at the slip in his hands, and everyone in the room stared at Dumbledore.

And then Dumbledore cleared his throat and read out "Harry Potter."

Severus’s hand left yours and you saw his eyes wide as he gripped the armrests of his chair.

"Harry Potter!" Dumbledore called again. "Harry! Up here, if you please!"

Severus’s eyes danced to Dumbledore and you tried to find the expected anger but it wasn't there. 

_Could it be?_

_Could Severus... worry of the Potter boy?_

"Well… through the door, Harry,"

All sense seemed to have left Severus as he frantically stood up and followed them into the trophy room.

_He does._

He does worry.


	7. Worry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do I already have a chapter titled worry? I don't think so but I feel like I'm running out of good chapter titles haha. Sometimes the chapter titles are so planned out like the ones in Savoured Trysts sometimes it's just the overall theme of the chapter.
> 
> Anyway, I am done with moving and I am trying to do consistent Friday updates again,,, maybe,,, hopefully. 
> 
> Thank you to BlackRyuji, AyushiSushi, MiscreantBrat, A Big Fan, fonduegames, hooliganism, honestlyrachel, and Yeah_I'm_Crazy_So_What for leaving comments on the previous chapter!! 
> 
> Enjoy!

You were the last one to leave the hall. Discerning the conversation that was deep in the trophy room was impossible even with the silence and Pomona Sprout was beckoning you to exit the hall. You sighed inwardly and trailed the Slytherins that were going down the dungeons.

You caught the tailwind of their complaints about how Potter could possibly have entered his name.

On the subject of Potter…

_Four_ champions…

Who could have possibly set that up?

And why was Severus so worried? All this time you’ve only seen resentment towards the boy and suddenly…

The only time you’ve seen that worry on his face was when he shielded you from the Dementors.

Could Severus… care for the boy?

(He certainly had an odd way of showing it.)

A wave of something strong washed over you as you sat in his armchair.

_No, you couldn’t be jealous of the boy… could you?_

Perhaps it’s not of Harry Potter. You’re jealous of… the _implications_ his worry might have.

You’ve always heard the rumours. Regulus used to gossip, but you had never cared for the information he relayed. Until now.

You wondered how much of it was true. Maybe Severus does… maybe he still—

You shook your head. It’s irrational to be jealous of a dead woman. You scolded yourself for even thinking it in the first place.

.

.

.

You startled awake hearing a loud bang. Blinking, you realised it was Severus slamming the door to his office.

The silence that followed was only broken by the shuffle of his robes as he walked across the room.

He passed you without a word and turned in front of the fire.

He was pacing.

“Severus,” you said, sitting up in the armchair. Despite the quietness, he didn’t seem to hear you.

You were afraid the crease between his brows would be permanent as he passed you again.

“Severus,” you tried again, now approaching him. He turned and was evidently surprised by your presence.

This was exactly why you opted to wait in his quarters instead of yours.

He backed away ever so slightly as you reached out to him and it made you hesitate, hand pausing in midair.

He blinked. For a moment you swore you saw the worry leave his eyes as he stepped forward and met your hand, grabbing it and putting it against his cheek before pulling you into an embrace.

He murmured something unintelligible as you wrapped your arms around him. Before you could question him about it, you felt his breath in your hair and could only discern him saying “…bath.”

.

.

Severus was quiet the rest of the night. He let you wash his hair in the bath and you felt the gesture strangely intimate.

He was sitting on the foot of the bed pulling at the sleeve of his nightshirt as you exited the bathroom.

His eyes were half-lidded and empty again as he stared at the trace of his mark.

“It’ll be alright, Severus,”

He looked up in surprise as you stood in front of him. Your hand instinctively went to the side of his face and he slowly leaned into it before falling forwards and letting his forehead rest against your abdomen. You felt his hand reach the back of your thighs, just under the hem of your bathrobe, and pull you close.

You stroked his hair and almost heard him sob.

* * *

Severus was still wrapped around you when you woke up. Which was odd, since he usually rose well before you. Especially on a Sunday.

Perhaps the worry has him tired, you mused, tracing the smoothed lines on his face with your finger. It was rare that you saw him relaxed, usually, it was only after you...

You glanced down and found his nightshirt hiked up his thigh, exposing his pale legs. You couldn't help but smile as he took a long breath and leaned into your touch.

You suddenly wished you could just stay in bed forever.

He seemed like he agreed to that as he blinked awake and held your hand.

“Good morning,” you said as you pecked his nose. He hummed and closed his eyes again as he pulled you close. "I didn't know that you like to sleep in on Sundays too."

"I don't," he groaned into your neck. You held him silently and stroked his hair.

“Are you alright?” You asked softly. 

“I am,” he answered all too hastily. You had a feeling he wanted to avoid the subject entirely.

You knew you had to talk someday, but perhaps for now…

“Maybe a sweet breakfast will help lift your spirits?”

Severus only hummed and snuggled further into you.

.

.

.

Severus had a particularly odd way of hiding his worry; he resorted to being extensively mean to everyone— save for you. You weren’t sure if you should be grateful or concerned….

You caught him snarling at a few students as you both passed through the hall and resisted the urge to pull him along. He almost snarled at Moody, too, as he greeted you when you arrived by the staff table. His greeting was accompanied by a rather suspicious stare as his eyes moved between you and Severus.

It was broken only by Dumbledore as he treaded around the table.

“(f/n),” he interjected a bit too cheerily, that twinkle in his eyes ever-present, “come see me in my office after breakfast.”

It was to run you through the first task as he promised, you presumed. You only nodded and caught Severus’s frown as he grumpily sat beside you.

You silently offered him one of the chocolate pastries and he pursed his lips as he took it.

.

.

“Now I’m sure you’re wondering what the burn healing paste is for…” Dumbledore fixed his spectacles and sat down behind his desk.

“I suppose the champions are to deal with fire,” you sat across Dumbledore.

“Oh, it’s more than just fire” Dumbledore chuckled, “more to… fiery breaths.”

You quirked an eyebrow, “I’m not sure what you’re insinuating, sir.”

“There will be dragons, (f/n) and—“

“ _Dragons_ , Dumbledore?!” Your eyes bulged and you clutched your chest in a rather ungraceful manner. You were glad that it was only Dumbledore in the room.

“Yes, (f/n), dragons,” Dumbledore didn’t seem fazed about the fact at all, “We have taken safety measures, of course, and I will have you inspect them for dragon pox as soon as they arrive on the grounds.”

Merlin, no wonder Severus worries. He’d probably worry even more when you tell him—

“This information is not to be discussed with anyone, (f/n). We would like to have the champions blind to the first task as it will test their ability to cope with danger.”

“Yes— Yes, of course, headmaster.” You hadn’t really recovered from the initial shock.

“Well, unless you have any questions, you are dismissed.”

Dumbledore still had a twinkling smile when you exited.

.

.

“Did he tell you about the first task?”

He had most likely read the shock on your face as you returned. You were surprised he waited for you in the hall.

“I’m…” you saw Karkaroff pass with a watchful eye, “I’m not supposed to say, Severus.”

* * *

Severus didn’t let off being mean over the week. It all peaked that Friday when he appointed Draco to explain the little scuffle in front of his classroom.

"Potter attacked me, sir—“

It was rather unfair to appoint Draco to explain anything, really.

"We attacked each other at the same time!" Potter shouted. Severus’s face contorted into an irritated expression.

If it weren’t for yesterday you might have not known he cared for the boy at all…

“—and he hit Goyle— look!”

"Hospital wing, Goyle," Severus said calmly.

"Malfoy got Hermione!" Weasley said. "Look!"

Sure enough, a band of giggles sounded as Granger showed him her hexed teeth. It had grown long past her jaw. You should be able to shrink—

Severus looked coldly at her and said, "I see no difference."

You were taken aback by his unabashed spitefulness and Granger took off in tears. You saw Potter and Weasley’s gaze fill with rage, but before they could yell, you beat them to it.

“ _Severus!_ ” You hissed in his ear, taking care the Slytherins didn’t notice— they were too busy laughing at Granger anyway, and pinched him. He blinked at you in surprise and rubbed his arm. His mean facade only broke when you threw him an unamused scowl before trailing after Granger to the Hospital Wing.

.

Harry and Ron were too stunned to even throw an insult at Snape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Severus was gloomy because it’s Lily’s deathday. He really thought he could avoid the tumult this year with you but it turns out Harry gets himself in danger and everything is bullshit. 
> 
> AyushiSushi asked if he still has feelings for Lily… well…Someday I’ll write everything in his perspective but that’s another project for another year. Oops. But hint: I personally don’t interpret Severus’s love for Lily as just romantic, so maybe perhaps possibly he can move on romantically, but not in other… aspects… 
> 
> Also guilt. Guilt can still be real regardless of feelings… 
> 
> Welp, I guess the angst is coming along!


	8. Hypothetically

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look! Consistent Friday update is back! At least there's one (1) consistency in my life. 
> 
> I don't have a title for this one, idk, might change in the morning... it's like... 1 AM. oopsie. And on that note, I gotta go to bed—
> 
> Thank you to AyushiSushi, BlackRyuji, EliDeetz, and ANH for commenting on the last chapter!
> 
> Enjoy!

“Miss Granger?” You walked over to her just as Goyle exited the Hospital Wing. She was sitting on one of the beds covering her face with the sleeve of her robe, wiping tears from her cheeks.

You didn’t know why you had the instinct to comfort her— perhaps it was your training as a healer, you sat down beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t listen to him, Miss Granger. He’s a prick.”

Granger suddenly stopped crying and turned, a hand covering her mouth ajar as she looked at you with astonishment.

“What?” It took you a moment until you realised, “Merlin’s beard! Forgive my vocabulary, Miss Granger!” It was your turn to cover your mouth with your hand.

She couldn’t help but giggle.

Well, that’s one way to cheer her up.

“I’m glad you’re all smiles now, Miss Granger,” Madam Pomfrey arrived and gave you a pointed glance.

You tried to seem indifferent about it all.

.

.

“No offence, Miss Granger, but I don’t think your teeth were that size before,” you commented as Madam Pomfrey moved out of earshot. Granger smiled sheepishly and took the mirror from the bed.

“Well, I’ve been trying to convince my parents to allow me to shrink them,” she bared her teeth and inspected them in the mirror, “but they wanted me to use braces.” She looked up at your furrowed eyebrows. “Braces are—“

“Muggle torture devices,” you finished for her with a grimace, “why would you take fencing your teeth in over just practically shrinking them?”

She blinked in surprise probably because you knew a muggle contraption.

“My parents are dentists… and they don’t think teeth and magic should go together.”

“I see,” you stashed the mirror away and followed her out the infirmary, “would you take an interest in Magical Dentistry, then?”

“There is such a thing?” she looked up at you curiously.

“Oh, yes. I only took one basic class because I didn’t want to specialise in it. It involves mostly a lot of teeth-whitening charms… and unlike muggles, we have a non-violent way of removing a tooth.”

Granger laughed, “pulling a tooth isn’t violent, Ms Black!”

“It most certainly is, Miss Granger, compared to vanishing it!”

You argued playfully until you had to part ways to the dungeons.

.

.

.

Severus froze by his door as he saw you lounging in his desk chair reading a book. You were reviewing on symptoms of Dragon Pox in dragons to prepare yourself for inspecting them when they arrive.

It was ridiculous… you were a healer, not a magizoologist. Dumbledore is barking mad.

“Are you just going to stand there gawping at me?” You said without looking up. A particular page on required equipment was catching your attention.

You needed dragon hide gloves. Professor Sprout should have some—

“Are you…” Severus was suddenly standing beside the desk, his hands behind his back. You knew he was fidgeting. “Are you cross with me?” He spoke in the quietest voice.

You looked up and set the book down on the table.

You didn’t know whether to be flattered or disappointed that his biggest concern was you being cross with him rather than the student he menaced. You knew he wouldn’t apologise even if you forced him to.

“I’m not, Severus,” you took his hand and kissed his knuckles. His fingers curled into yours instinctively and relief washed over his face. You realised Severus was easier to read when you were alone… it put a smile on your face. “ _But,_ I do think you should let up being so terribly catty.”

“I don’t know what you mean.” A smirk threatened to form on his lips despite the guilty facade.

The audacity of this man.

 _“Severus.”_ You scolded with a bored face and let go of his hand.

He neared you and reached for your hand again, “I’ll try.”

* * *

“Hypothetically speaking, Severus…”

You were sprawled on your sofa trying to calm your nerves while he was by your feet grading papers. With the task Dumbledore sent you to do tonight…

This caught his attention and he looked up from his stack of papers.

The week has passed without too much going on. Severus hadn’t been too spiteful— or at least you didn’t _catch him_ being spiteful. His scowl remained when either Moody or Karkaroff neared, however, and the former had the tendency to stare at the two of you suspiciously… as if he knew (and was definitely not pleased about it).

Then, the day before, Draco had offered you a “Support Cedric Diggory/Potter stinks!” badge but you declined, saying that you needed to remain neutral as a staff of the tournament.

You fiddled with the dragon hide gloves on the coffee table.

“Out with it,” Severus said impatiently. You gulped and rephrased the sentence in your head.

“If, say… I was faced with a creature… about the size of a dragon…”

Severus’s eyebrow rose to his hairline.

You weren’t afraid, not really, but it wasn’t every day that you had to face not one, but _four_ dragons… well, there would dragon keepers… but as a healer, you were always told to anticipate the worst outcome so you could prepare for it.

“And if it threatened my safety… what would be the best spell— or perhaps the best course of action to take?”

You knew Severus was more skilled in combat than you are, he had mentioned trying to apply for the DADA position and having served—

“What are you on about?” Severus said, his anger rising. You heard a crack of worry in his voice, however, “What are you doing tonight, exactly?”

You had only told him that Dumbledore had a task for you and that he shouldn’t wait up. He had a suspicious look on his face but didn’t desire to pry… until now.

“Just _hypothetically_ , Severus—“

He came to a realisation right then.

“The first task is… dragons?” He was fully facing you and baring his teeth now, papers left neglected on the table, “And Dumbledore sent you to inspect… _Dragons?_ ”

You didn’t know if he drew his own conclusion or if he sifted through your mind just now.

“Severus, please—“

“I’m coming with you.” His voice was calm yet no one could mistake the edge in his voice. He was angry. At Dumbledore.

Just like that night he shielded you from the dementors.

His show of concern flattered you and sent you that flutter in your chest.

“Severus, you can’t, I’m not supposed to have told anyone.“

Severus drew a deep breath from his nose and pressed his lips into a firm line.

“Will there be dragon keepers?”

“Yes, he’s not _that_ deranged,” you reached for his hand across the sofa, “I heard one of them was your student. A Weasley?”

Severus only let out a “tsk.”

You laughed. It probably did the opposite of assuring him of your safety.

”He has a hobby of sending you out to get mauled by beasts, doesn’t he?” 

You hummed in thought.

_Werewolf, Dementors… and now this._

“I suppose if you put it that way.”


	9. Companion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohoho! It's Friday! (even though I haven't updated in several fridays) You might as well insert Rebecca as Ms Black's name because it's Friday, Friday— AHEM Sorry, I am stressed and tired right now. University life is driving me up a wall. Also, I recall one of you actually has Rebecca as a first name—
> 
> I'm getting over writing the angst, because I made a playlist specifically for writing the angst. No angst in THIS chapter but it will be... soon. 
> 
> Thank you to MiscreantBrat, SisterSarai, ANH, and HonestIago for leaving comments in the last chapter! 
> 
> Enjoy!

“Thank you, Severus,"

“What?"

“For your concern," you glanced to the side and caught his barely-there shadow, "It's nice... It feels nice that you worry about me.“

As usual, he let out a huff and you only barely made out his figure turning. You would even guess he was blushing. 

Severus had cast a disillusionment charm on himself, since he had insisted on coming along— well, it's not as if you protested, having him by your side eased your nerves. 

(Though, you realised anyone passing would think you were talking to yourself.)

Besides, you figured he wouldn't tell any of the champions anyway—

You blinked as you saw Hagrid walking ahead of you, accompanied by Madam Maxime, headmistress of Beauxbatons. You’d share a sceptical glance with Severus if only you could see him. 

_What’s Hagrid thinking, bringing her along?_

You crossed threshold to where dozens of wizards— who you assumed were the dragon keepers, could be heard trying to restrain their charges. Upon arrival, you saw that there was a fence surrounding the dragons, but it seemed as though it could barely hold them in. 

"Keep back there, Hagrid! And you too, Ms Black!“ yelled a wizard near the fence, straining on the chain he was holding. "They can shoot fire at a range of twenty feet, you know! I've seen this Horntail do forty!" 

The dragon did just that, which made you step back hastily. You felt a hand tug you even further back and found yourself standing against a camouflaged Severus. 

"It's no good!" yelled another wizard, “She’ll have to inspect them while they’re out! Stunning Spells, on the count of three!”

"Is'n' it beautiful?" You heard Hagrid mutter. You had to shake your head in disbelief. 

The dragon keepers stupefied each charge. The creatures stretched their necks in a silent cry and fell to their sides, unconscious. 

"Wan' a closer look?" Hagrid asked Madame Maxime excitedly. “The healer there, Ms Black, and I will be checkin' em, make sure they’re healthy.” 

You walked towards the fence and found Severus refusing to let go of your arm. 

“Severus,” you whispered, trying your best to look him in the eyes (his dark irises were indiscernible from the shadows of the forest…) “I’ll be alright now. They’re unconscious.” 

He gave a squeeze before letting you go. 

Not even a minute later, you realised you spoke too soon—

“See those beautiful teeth, Ms Black?” Hagrid said with a chuckle as he pried open the Horntail’s jaw, “no sign of green plaque, right?”

You couldn’t quite see in the dim light, so you lit up your wand— which would be a mistake since the teeth were now illuminated menacingly. You were thankful to have dragonhide gloves on at that moment. 

“Right…” You moved on to inspect its eyes, which Hagrid didn’t help with at all. You were sure the Horntail would wake at any moment.

Hagrid moved on to the next dragon as you announced this one was healthy and you noticed Madame Maxime stoking the Horntail’s head curiously. 

"All right, Hagrid?" a wizard with red hair jogged to towards the two of you. You realised it was the Weasley Dumbledore mentioned. "They should be okay now— we put them out with a Sleeping Draft on the way here, thought it might be better for them to wake up in the dark and the quiet… but, as you saw, they weren't happy, not happy at all—“ 

"What breeds you got here, Charlie?" Hagrid asked, easily prying open the jaws of next dragon. Its eyes were still open, which sent a wave of fear down your spine. You swept the light from your wand over its teeth.

"That one you just inspected is a Hungarian Horntail," Weasley said. "There's a Common Welsh Green over there, the smaller one— a Swedish Short-Snout, this one— and a Chinese Fireball, that's the red." 

So, one for each champion. You wondered how they would handle facing such a menacing beast. It would be a spectacle for sure, you could only hope you’d be able to watch from the first-aid tent. 

You passed your wand over the teeth and concluded that this one was healthy as well. 

"I didn't know you were bringing her, Hagrid," the Weasley boy said, frowning. "The champions aren't supposed to know what's coming—" 

“I was just about to ask you that, Hagrid. She's bound to tell her student, isn't she?” You chimed in. 

"Jus’ thought she'd like ter see 'em," Hagrid shrugged nervously, gently setting back the dragon’s jaw. 

"Really romantic date, Hagrid," Weasley said, which made him shuffle in embarrassment. 

_So he’s crushing on the headmistress?_

You heard a snort from behind you and you were sure it was Severus. He was probably restraining himself from making a snarky remark. 

The rest of the inspection went relatively well. All of them were healthy and showed no sign of any illness whatsoever. The Chinese Fireball did have a bit of extra mucus around its eyes, but that was a common reaction to the sleeping draft. 

You were thanked by a few of the dragon keepers and Hagrid politely bid you goodnight before walking away with Madame Maxime. 

You looked around. Where had Severus gone? There was no sign of him. It would be impossible to look for him in this darkness. You decided to walk back towards the castle and supposed he’d notice and follow—

"Severus?" you were surprised to see him without the disillusionment charm in the clearing and holding his wand against... a cowering Karkaroff.

"I was on my way back from collecting potion ingredients and look who I found spying in the bushes,” Severus squinted at Karkaroff menacingly, "I reckon he’s trying to sabotage the tournament.” 

“No! I was only looking— see here, Severus, why would I do such a thing?” Karkaroff turned to you with a desperate expression. 

“We all know why,” Severus sneered, “I believe your champion should be disqualified for this—”

“No! No, no, Severus, there’s no need to do that!” Karkaroff begged, “(f/n)! How is this fair? Beauxbaton’s headmistress was there too!” 

Huh. 

“I detest your refusal to properly address me, Karkaroff, but I suppose you have a point.” 

Severus turned to you in surprise. Karkaroff's shoulders sagged in relief and a grin made its way onto his face. 

"Thank you... (f/n)—” you whirled your head and squinted at him, “I— I mean Ms Black.” He laughed nervously and backed away. 

“Come, it’s not worth the hassle, Severus.” you patted his arm and motioned for him to follow you in the castle. 

He reluctantly lowered his wand and gave another sneer to Karkaroff before trailing behind you. 

"Do you suppose Potter knows?" 

Severus didn’t hold back his surprise at the question. 

"Of the dragons?” 

You nodded. 

"I doubt it," he said, you could barely catch him muttering about how Potter had a thick skull like his father. 

“Perhaps I should tell him then,” you said, “and Diggory. To even the playing field.” 

In the back of your mind, you hoped it would ease his worries of the Potter boy if he had even the slightest fighting chance. 

He only nodded and you walked in silence until you reached the dungeons. 

“By the way, did you really make up a whole alibi to Karkaroff?” You smirked, “You weren’t _really_ collecting potion ingredients—“ 

You were cut off as you felt him tuck something behind your ear. He promptly entered his quarters but left the door open for you. 

Strange. 

Curious, you pulled whatever it was from your ear and inspected it. 

Asphodel. 

How endearing. 

* * *

"Ah, Mr Potter, I had hoped to catch you somewhere," 

Potter and Granger looked up from their various books on the library table. You took a glance at what they were reading. 

Dragons… dragons, dragons, dragons. 

"Ms Black? What do you need?" Granger asked.

“Actually, I was about to give you a hint for the task, but it seems you already have a clue.“ 

“Oh, I just—“

“Nevermind that, Mr Potter. I’m impressed you found out yourself. I trust you'll inform Mr Diggory as well? I can’t seem to catch him anywhere.“ 

“I— yes, of course, Ms Black.” 

“Good. I'm sure you'll do well with Miss Granger’s help. I’m sorry I can't help you." 

"It's alright Ms Black. You aren't supposed to be helping anyway,” Potter smiled sheepishly. 

"Well, blame the inner Slytherin in me. I'd very much like us to win— Durmstrang and Beauxbatons already know,” you shrugged, “and of course it would be better if you didn't get mauled by the creatures. I wouldn't know how to fix you up by then." Granger and Potter shared a giggle. "Anyway, best of luck, Potter. I'm sure you'll figure something out." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also, did you notice the detail that made it all too sweet and symbolic and deep? Catch me mentioning it on tumblr @palatefor-strangeremedies 😏


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